Lessons learned in implementing a staff education program in pain management in the acute care setting.

: With the release of Acute Pain and Cancer Pain Guidelines from the federal government, many healthcare agencies will be instituting programs to improve pain management. The authors describe a pilot project in acute pain management that did not yield desired results. On the basis of this experience and through a review of the literature, information is provided to staff development educators about problems and issues in planning and executing a program in pain management using structure, process, and outcome as a framework.